When a bouquet of flowers is purchased at a floral shop or stand, a professional florist usually wraps the flowers for the purchaser. For example, the florist places the bouquet on a flat sheet of material (paper, plastic, foil, etc.) and the lateral edges of the sheet are wrapped around the bouquet and then held in place with a piece of tape or decorative seal. Since the florist repeatedly performs such a bouquet-wrapping process, the positioning, folding, and sealing of the material becomes a somewhat routine and non-demanding task. Also, the sheets of wrapping material are easily stored in a flat pile or, alternatively, easily cut from a roll of material. By careful wrapping, a florist can provide a pleasing and professional appearance to the flowers.
When a bouquet is purchased from a self-serve stand (such as at a grocery store), it is usually the responsibility of the purchaser to wrap the bouquet. Generally, consumers do not have the skill, time, patience, and/or desire to use the bouquet-wrapping techniques used by professional florists. Containers are therefore commonly provided at the point-of-purchase. The containers are usually stored in a collapsed or flat condition to conserve space. The flat container is opened by the purchaser and the bouquet is placed inside. The containers do not have any way to cover the top of the bouquet when it extends above the upper edge of the container's open top. Moreover, these point-of-purchase containers often resemble the plastic grocery store bags used in the bulk food section and usually do not complement the flowers with a pleasing and professional appearance.
Accordingly, the inventor appreciated that a need remained for a consumer-friendly floral container which may be used by purchasers to wrap their flowers while at the same time providing the pleasing appearance of a florist-wrapped bouquet.